Purple (garden) Haze

Hope you are ready because this is a picture heavy posting.  My friend Darrell (from work) saw one of my garden boxes and asked me to make one for his wife in purple and with ladybugs.  It's is for her birthday in June.  I have a new MS punch that I think looks like a lattice and I wanted to try it out anyway so....here goes.

The flowers are handmade, the leaves are a punch, the ladybug was a button and the ribbon from Michaels.

The paper is DCWV and velum is used for the second set of wings on the butterflies (also a MS punch).

And, for the garden inside................ta da!

Magnolia doo-hickey dies for the butterflies, sizzix for the leaves, MS butterfly punch, flower soft for the grass and handmade flowers.  Half pearls in the top corners of the two unadorned sides. 

Here is a close up of the lattice.

And another shot of the inside.

I hope that you like this as much as I enjoyed making it.

This box may be entered in the following challenges:
Truly Scrumptious:  Anything goes
Divas by Design:  For the girls
ABC Challenge:  V is for Violet
My Time to Craft:  Use a die cut (all over this project)
Fresh Brewed Designs:  Anything but a card
PaperCrafting Journey:  Anything goes and use your favorite something (right now, Magnolia Doo-hickey dies)
Paper Play Challenges:  Blossoms and Blooms
Crafty Purple Frog Challenge:  Things of Beauty
Creative Friday:  Summertime
Pattie's Creations Design:  No, No, No cards
Fairy tale challengeblog:  Anything but a Card

Tie a Yellow Ribbon.....

GingerLoft is putting out the yellow ribbons over Memorial Day.  A special challenge that also emphasizes our thanks to all the current and past members of the US armed forces.  (My dad is retired USAF)\

So, join our challenge, add a yellow ribbon, and remember to thank a veteran!

Both of these digital images are in the GingerLoft store.  Tami has such a wonderful variety of images to work with.

Colored with copics, die cuts using spellbinders and Mariannes, and beautiful yellow ribbon from my stash.

Both cards came together easily.  The sentiment on the second card is from 'Create with TLC'.

And don't forget our very first
BLOG HOP -
ASIAN INSPIRED
starts on the 12th of JUNE......mark this on your calender
and if you sign up now at the GingerLoft site.  You will be in the running for
$10 gift certificate...
It's going to lot's of fun!!

This card may be entered in the folowing challenges:

GingerLoft Challenges:  Tie a Yellow Ribbon (DT card)

A Spoonful of Sugar:  Things with Wings

DYSU:  Animals

Crafty Purple Frog:   Something beautiful

Card Making Mamas:  Use your scraps (the entire kite card is from scraps)

Frosted Designs:  Summer games, picnics or BBQ 

Allsorts:  Things with Wings

One goddess to another...

Glitter and glitz, bling and flowers, pink and purple, mystical and magical.  When one goddess drops a note to another, all of these apply!

This image is one of Tracy's at The Stamping Boutique.  Isn't she beautiful!  I thought that the goddess sentiment perfect to go along with her.  (Not sure who the sentiment is from, please tell me if you know).

Sponging was done with Memento Inks, coloring with copics.  Die cuts are spellbinders and Do-hickeys.  The flowers are handmade and there is plenty of glitter, flat back rhinestones and pearls, glossy accents and glitz pens.  All on an easel card with a CB embossed background.

This card is entered in the following challenges:

The Latte Lounge May Digi day challenge:  Fancy fold
Crafts 4 Eternity:  Ribbon, flowers, bling
Little Claire's Designs:  Sparkle
Rainbow Lady's Challenge:  With a Flourish
Paper Play Challenges:  Sparkle Galore
Digi Doodle Shop's Best:  Embossing
Diva's by Design:  One for the Girls
Southern Girls Challenge:  Frills and polish (rose lace and pearls in center of flowers)
CES Challenge:  Embellish it!
CCEE Stampers:  Flowers
Digital Tuesday:  Seeing Stars

Fresh Brew for all!

Fresh Brewed Designs is a challenge blog and shop owned by Heather Dennis from Heather's Coffee Shop.

I entered a challenge on her blog after purchasing the most adorable set of beach stuff stamps and some papers, ribbon and bling to play with.  Her DT chose my project as a winner and I get to be a member of the DT for the next 3 months.

This is a pretty busy DT group.  FBD sponsers many challenges besides there own challenge site.  They are also busy on 'The Latte Lounge' and at 'Simply Scrapping Crafts'.  Anyway, watch my blog for FBD images!  Here are the 2 that I entered to win the DT spot.  You could only use the materials sent in the kit, cardstock and could add a sentiment of your own.

Aren't those little ice cream cones adorable!  Everything except the sentiment (from OCL) and the card stock are from the Fresh Brewed Designs kit.

The gift box (thanks to Cammie at OCL)  is about 4.5 x 3 x 1.5 inches.  There is sand from my local beach in the window.  The flower is made from some of the paper from the kit.  The sandcastle and beachbag are 2 FBD stamps colored with copic markers.  The button and bow are from the kit.  We were allowed to use our own cardstock, so I cut out the palm tree from cardstock on my cricut.  

The 2 together made for a pretty cool set!  Obviously since I won the contest!  LOL

This set may be entered into the following challenges:
Fresh Brewed Designs:  Summer/Beach  (DT submission)

Pear Tree Designs:  Tropical

A Spoonful of Sugar:  Anything goes

Riley & Co.:  Make a gift box

Crafty Creations:  Use a flower
Penny;s Challenges:  Anything goes
Stampavie and More:  Summer
Stamp Something:  Beachy colors

Dreaming of Maui (again)!

Banner day today!  Second card, second post.  How about a little dream about Maui, or at least about sitting on a beach and watching a beautiful sunset.

This stamp set is from Our Craft Lounge (again) and is called 'Sandy Sunsets'

The scene was stamped using Memento tuxedo black ink.  The background was brayered in with various Memento inks.  There is a paper button and a sailors knot (tutorial) made with kitchen twine.  The scene was die cut with a spellbinder, cut into thirds with the center piece slightly larger than the edge pieces.  It was then mounted with pop dots onto a piece of black card stock also cut with a spellbinder die.  Some glossy accents on the sunset, some white gel ink highlights and the card was complete.

This card may be entered in the following challenges:

Our Craft Lounge:  Use natural or colored bakers twine

Inspiration Avenue:  Tropical

Cards for Men:  For someone special

Creative Belli:  The letter 'S' (sunset)

Little Red Wagon:  Trees

Stampavie and More:  Summer

Some Odd Girl:  Make a Scene

Stamp Something:  Beachy Colors (how bout the whole beach!)

Delicious Doodles:  Let the Sun Shine

Fairy Dust is a must!

Fairy dust is a must.  Especially for Happy Birthday wishes!  LOL

Love this beautiful little fairy, sitting on a toadstool wishing the recipient a happy birthday.  So much fun to color.  There are endless choices for coloring the mushrooms.

This stamp set is from Our Craft Lounge.  It is called 'Fairy Dust is a Must'. Colored with copics, ribbon from Michaels, a button, some bakers twine and some really cool flowers.  I learned how to make the flowers at a 'make and take' on National Scrapbook day at Memories of Time (thanks Michelle)!

A few die cuts (spellbinders and do-hickeys) a CB embossing folder and the brightest cardstock I could find for the card base!  Voila!

This card may be entered in the following challenges:

OCL:  use bakers twine
Corrosive Challenge Blog:  Birhday
My Partner in Crafting Crime:  Use twine, jute or string
Craft your Passion:  Cutie Patootie
Cupcake Craft Challenge:  In the Garden
Pear Tree Designs:  Use a stamped image
Sweet Stamps Blog:  Birthday
Creative Card Crew:  Cute and Girly
Claudia & Co:  Birthday card for a girl
Paper Pretties:  Use flowers
Diva's by Design:  One for the Girls
Fab 'n' Funky Challenges:  Make your own blooms
Stampin' B's Design:  Make a spring scene

Grow a Tree

Grow a tree.  That is the challenge over at GingerLoft Challenges this fortnight.  Well, at least use one on your project!  This was an easy one as Tami has alot of tree images at her digi store.  Buy one or pick up a freebie and see what you can do.  Remember the old tire swing in the backyard at the old homestead.....

This side view show how dimensional dots are used to raise the tree and tire off the page.  The rope is just some kitchen twine. 

The image and the sentiment are from GingerLoft Designs.  The papers, crow and glitter dots on the right side are from my stash.  The coloring is done with copics.  There is a little sparkly fluff (from OCL) on the clouds.  The label is cut with a spellbinder die.

This card may be entered i n the following challenges:

GingerLoft Challenges DT card:  Grow a Tree

Anything Goes Challenge Blog:  Home Sweet Home

Pile it On Challenge:  Kids come out to play

Lady bug, Lady bug, fly away home.......

Just playing around today and decided it was time to color up a 'scene-it' freebie that I picked up from Bugaboo last month.  The lady bugs are cute but the flower in this scene is gorgeous!  So many ways to play with this image.  I chose to print and color it twice.  I cut out the ladybugs and the large flower from the second printing and pop-dotted them onto the original.  Lots of dimension!  Some decorative corners, a ribbon, a perfect sentiment from Create with TLC and I had the perfect card.  This one is going to a friend's daughter for her birthday.  Her nickname is 'Ladybug'.   Perfect!

Isn't it too cute!  What a great scene.  Makes for an easy and quick card.  Especially for those of us that love to color.  I have used my copics (*gasp* imagine that).  The decorative corners are from Spellbinders and the ribbon from Michael's.  A little glitter and some glossy accents and it was done.

This card may be entered in the following challenges:
Catch the Bug Challenge:  Anything goes
Dream Valley Challenges:  Flowers
Scrappy Frogs Challenge Blog:  Anything goes
Prairie Fairy Fridays:   For the girls
Stamp Something:  Use a digi
Southern Girls Challenge:  For a girl
Shelly's Images:  Girly or sweet (I think this is both!)
Hanna and Friends:  No designer paper
Fab 'n' Funky:  No designer paper

National Scrapbooking Day

Saturday May 7th was National Scrapbooking Day.  Since I am always looking for a good excuse to play with paper, that is the one I chose for crafting my day away!  Danna picked me up in the  morning and we went and picked out granite for her new kitchen (almost as much fun as playing with paper).  Then to Memories of Time for an afternoon of make and takes, shopping, visiting and shopping (Oh, did I already say that?).  LOL  Then, as it is "Scrapbooking" day, home to do a scrapbook with some much neglected photos.  These pics are from Winchester Bay, OR.  I took them when my son and his girlfriend flew here from Oklahoma a year ago for my DH's 50th birthday.  My son's best friend (Danna's son) is in a couple also.  Now, I like pictures to do the story telling.  I am a terrible journaler (thank goodness for Create with TLC and Elegant Wordart or I would have no sentiments)!

The title and flourish is cut on my cricut.  The cartoon embellishments are all from the

Our Craft Lounge set 'Bubbles.  It is the perfect set for any ocean including photos!  I have colored the images with copics, cut them out, covered them with glossy accents to make them look wet and then placed them on the page with pop-dots.  Just love those turtles!

Sorry for the poor photo.  Just not set up for taking pics of 12 X 12 sheets.

This layout may be entered in the following challenges:

Our Craft Lounge:  Make a scrapbook page using an OCL stamp
Charisma Cardz:  No cards allowed
Fresh Brewed Designs:  Beach or summer
Pixie Dust Studio:  Under the Sea
Crafts and Me:  Swirls (see flourish upper left corner)

Under the Sea

It's a beautiful day, both above water and under the sea!  Today starts the 'Under the Sea' challenge over at GingerLoft Challenges.  Tami has gone out of her way to provide an amazing array of sea life digi's to play with this fortnight.  Check out her store, buy or find a digi and get creating! 

From jellyfish to manatees from sea turtles to dolphins.  Let us "sea" the wonders of the sea:)  The random winner will receive 3 digis of their choice from our Gingerloft store and our top 3 will be the next challenge GDT. 

I couldn't choose so I did two cards as DT for this challenge.

The turtles are stamped on Neenah solar white.  Then, stamped a 2nd time, colored (copics of course), cut out and popped on top of the original image.  The jellyfish were stamped on scraps, colored, and cut out.  I used my flower shaper tool to round out the domes and then popped the domes and glued the  'arms' (?) onto the paper.  Add some DP, ribbon and clear teardrops from my stash.  Put it all onto a card embossed with my CB embossing folder bubbles.  The sentiment is from OCL and punched out with SU word window

This card uses Tami's manatee image.  Isn't he cute!  Colored with copics on Neenah solar white.  Ek success border punch, spellbinders nestie for the sentiment, ribbon and bling from my stash and the CB embossing folder 'bubbles'. 

These cards may be entered in the following challenges:

GingerLoft Challenges:  Under the Sea (DT)
Amber's Crafts and Stuff:  Use digi stamps
Southern Girls Challenge:  Green and Blue
Paper Cutz Challenge:  Anything goes